


don't let go, I can't lose you yet

by electric_stydiax



Series: SteelAtom Week 2017 [2]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Earth-1 SteelAtom, Earth-13 SteelAtom, Kidnapping, M/M, Metahuman Experimentation, mentions of cloning, the darkness lingers but the light is strong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 15:40:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11188188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electric_stydiax/pseuds/electric_stydiax
Summary: Nate realizes he's a constant when it comes to Ray. Being with him, loving him and protecting him when everything crumbles around them. When the ship ends up on Earth-13, how are they tested? What changes?





	don't let go, I can't lose you yet

Nate was tired. Somewhere, somehow they lost his boyfriend in a version of Central City that's not even their own. After the last aberration, the ship was flung into another earth due to the frequencies matching for an extended period of time. As a result, they ended up on Earth-13 where Jax is dating Sara, Amaya is dating Mick and Len and Lisa are part of the CCPD. What he didn't expect is his doppelgänger being a underground overlord that vanished while Earth-13 Ray insisted on keeping him around. 

It started with a library, more importantly his favorite one from home. This library in particular was where he completed his undergraduate work, still dealing with the loss of his nana and desire to be a hero. He figured while he was here he should probably see if they can reverse, or rather de-align the frequencies so that they can go home. 

“What's a gorgeous man such as yourself doing all alone?” Nate recognized Ray’s voice, but it wasn't his Ray. It wasn't the same man who kissed him awake every morning, and held him close whenever he could when missions were complete.  
This man felt like marble where his Ray where was ocean, and he was cold where Nate’s boyfriend was blazing warm. “Research, on something important that will change my whole life.”, Nate squeaked. He chose not to turn around lest it cause the worst to happen, and stiffened as this other Ray, this jaded man moved closer. 

Nate, nervous and tense as hell gets up and begins looking for another book on the multiverse and how their alignments impact everything. He can feel his eyes on him, cold amber stones on a target he thought he'd lost. 

“Why delve into something so big? The multiverse is already an enigma in itself, so why go down a proverbial rabbit hole for even more obscure answers?” Impatient, and frankly a bit perplexed, Earth-13 Ray took Nate's cheek in his hand hoping to elicit some something that would help the both of them understand. When they met each other's eyes, Ray-13 didn't want to let go, ever.  
“You aren't him, but can I-”

“Can you what?”

“Can you stay? Can I kiss you?”

“I can't stay, but if you can help me find my Ray I can help you.”

“How do you know I need help?”

“In every time, place and universe, you and I cling to each other with all we have. He would never leave you willingly. Not without a fight.” Nate stared his boyfriend’s counterpart down with a wave of reassurance, not ferocity. Even if he was a crime lord, he didn't deserve that. He needed his other half back though, cause Nate could tell Ray-13 was falling apart and so was he.

“Where was he last? Let's start there and go from there to where he -”  
“Yeah, sure. That's means I would be taking you home with me though, beautiful.”, then flashing Nate a wink. 

That act alone causes Nate’s cheeks to flush to a rose color and stare at the criminal.  
“Just, just take me home - I mean your home, I mean let's go!” Nate took Ray-13’s wrist and walked out of the library, even more flustered than before. “Take me to your home. No funny business please.” He then looks to his hand, interwoven with the crime lord. “I promise absolutely nothing. Follow me, and we can go from there.” Ray-13 grins, and Nate’s heart spins even wilder than before as he tightens his grip on him. A complete stranger, but a familiar touch. 

 

Ray was trapped. Without his team, his suit and with no way to reach them. Everyone felt so far away, and he missed Nate. He missed the historian’s caresses and his ability to stay calm even when Ray himself couldn't. Without Nate, he felt so much darkness around him it was indescribable. He took a few deep breaths, and gathered himself before using his mind to reach out to Nate. God, I hope he finds me. I'm pretty sure this is a metahuman experimentation lab and a metahuman I am not. After letting his thoughts drift to Nate, he passed out hoping his boyfriend got the message loud and clear. 

A while later, Ray woke up and saw Nate, or rather a version of Nate. This man had tattoos all over his skin and a ring on his finger. “Baby? Ray, is that you? Who the hell put you in here?” As Ray shifted closer to Nate-13, they locked eyes and understood. “You aren't my boyfriend, but i'm still getting you out of here somehow. Earth-1 Ray Palmer, pleased to meet you.” 

“You aren't my boyfriend, but i'm not leaving you behind either. Earth-13 Nate Heywood, resident of the moral gray and the pleasure really is mine despite the circumstances.” “Better question, who put you in here? Even if you are a criminal, you aren't a metahuman. Why would they- oh god. Nate, is there any way you reach your Ray?” 

“Yeah, I have a button for emergencies that I keep on. The location isn't precise though.”

“Fuck. Do it anyway, so that he can get to you. Maybe he's with my Nate and we can shut this creep circus down. I wonder what sick bastard is running this stint.” Nate-13 hits his button, and both he and Ray wait. 

 

“What's that sound? Ray, look at your wrist.”  
Ray-13 gazed at his wrist, eyes widening when he saw a map pull coordinates. “It's my boyfriend, that's his sos button. We have to go get him. Where he is isn't good. That warehouse is used for meta experiments on non-metas in hopes of forming better soldiers. Hell, Nate might -”

“No! If he's anything like you say he's still alive and knowing that place my boyfriend is there too. Luckily I have his suit with me. Let's go bust out our men and kick some ass.” 

“I'm ready if you are. Knowing your boyfriend from what you told me, he's probably still fighting like hell too. So let's go raise some hell, and bring them both home.”

Later, back at the warehouse  
“I don't think it's working. Ray, what do we do now?”

“They're close. Even if your button dies, they'll find us. I'm sure of that.” 

A crash into the wall confirms Ray’s initial belief as his boyfriend and counterpart step in their armor.  
As the dust settles, a pregnant pause overtakes the four men until Earth-13 Ray uttered,  
“Nate!”

“Ray, god Ray. I love you so much!”  
As their Earth-13 selves broke into tears, Earth-1 Nate and Ray shared a soft smile.

“I brought your suit, you ready to go?”  
Ray takes his suit and aims for Nate-13’s cell, blasting the lock his cell and then his.  
He pulls his boyfriend into a deep kiss, leaving no room for air.  
“Hey! We still have a asshole to stop. Fight now, fuck later you two!” They both blush, but keep it moving. After finding the command center, Ray blasts off the door and sees tall tubes in every corner of the room filled with clones of him and Nate. Some weren't fully developed, and others were disfigured to the point it made everyone a little sick. 

“What sick monsters, -”  
“Would not only try to build a better soldier, but clone them too?”  
“I bet it's the Legion of Doom, or -”

“Don't bother finishing your sentence, you'll be dead in a moment anyway.”

Nate steels up and punches the asshole dead in the face. Nate-13 grabs a gun and aims for the head, causing the man in yellow to gush scarlet. After that, Ray-13 takes an empty tube and shoves him in it. With the flick of a switch, the tube fills and drowns the bastard to death.

Nate and Ray-13 share a look and ask,  
“Who the hell was that? And why does he look like a knockoff Flash?”

Their Earth-1 mirrors share an grin, and laugh.  
“That was Eobard Thawne, also known as Reverse Flash on our Earth. He was a part of a group of resident bad guys called the Legion of Doom. They tried to rewrite reality to where they were supreme. Now Nate, would you mind hitting the Meltdown button by your arm? I don't want to leave any trace of those clones or leave the prisoners here. I already snatched a copy of the main drive, so this operation can go bust.”  
Nate hit the button, and the building began shaking. All four of them ran like hell to outside where the CCPD were waiting. Ray-13 handed over the drive and grabbed his Nate, leaving the scene.

The next day

The Earth-13 and Earth-1 pairs were saying goodbye and Nate couldn't help notice his doppelgänger’s ring.  
“Are you married here? Is everything we dream of?”

Nate-13 smiles, a small soft one and replies,  
“It's everything and then some, Nate. I've never felt more loved than with him. Your Ray feels the same about you, I could tell from his eyes when we met. You mean everything to him, and don't you dare let him go. You're everything to him too. Don't doubt yourself because of the past.” 

Meanwhile, a short distance away Ray-13 was explaining how Nate worries and doubts like he did. “He wonders if he's living in a dream and he worries you'll leave someday because he's supposedly not enough for you. Also, this is off the record but have you guys -” “Have you made love yet? Fucked each other senseless? Anything?” 

Ray shakes his head no and blushes. “We get interrupted every time before it gets too far. Our team is so nosy and ugh, I've wanted to so badly.”

Ray-13 frowned upon the response and replied with, “If you can't have him like crazy, at least hold him close and don't let go when you get home. He craves your touch, and the only reason he didn't fall for my whims is probably because you touch him like you give him life. Don't let Nate go Ray, ever. He needs you and you need him.” 

Ray looks at his counterpart and boyfriend with such reverence that he simply understands. “I won't let him go. I need him too.” 

The Earth-1 Ray and Nate board the WaveRider with a sense of trepidation and anticipation around the other. They know and they understand, but what happens next?

**Author's Note:**

> For reference, Earth-13 Ray and Nate are married, but say they're boyfriends because they technically can't get married in their Central yet. Their universe is constantly moving and changing frequently, latching on to nearby frequencies for days at a time. As a result, the Central City they live in isn't fixed on a consistent universe.


End file.
